


After the Fall

by spidermanstan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Disabled Character, Disabled Character of Color, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Hurt Tony Stark, Injury Recovery, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Original Character(s), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:29:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spidermanstan/pseuds/spidermanstan
Summary: “Rhodey, you can’t do that right now, okay?” Tony told him, as he and two other people pushed down on his chest and shoulders to keep him from moving again. “Just lay down until we get to the hospital, okay? You gotta calm down.”“Tones,my legs.” Was Rhodey’s reply, the first actual words he’d managed since he woke up. He knew something was wrong,seriously wrong, and he knew Tony would’ve been able to tell him what it was. “Tones, what’s…?” He tried again, but the helicopter took a sharp turn as it rose higher in the sky, tying his stomach in knots and pressurizing his head even more than it was already.Rhodey passed out before anyone could give him an answer.OrRhodey's recovery from his point of view after the events of the airport fight in Germany in 2016.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Original Character(s), James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's me, I'm back, crazy I know!! Truth is I've been sitting on dozens of fics for literal years now but can never finish one to a point where I feel like it's worthy of seeing the light of day so they never get finished/posted. This is one of the more recent ones I've been working one and I've just decided you know what, fuck it, I'm gonna post the first chapter and see what happens. It's not great, I know, but it's something I've been yearning to see for so long and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so if this is also your kind of thing, amazing, here you go. If there's anyone out there who still cares or is interested in my writing, thank you, and I hope you enjoy!!

The first thing Rhodey could remember was screaming.

His body felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t breathe right, and any air that did manage to enter his panicked lungs came out painful, hoarse screams and groans he had no hopes of controlling. 

He couldn’t move.

It took his brain a moment to register that it wasn’t the immovable metal casing of the War Machine armour restricting him, but the warm, latex-gloved hands of medics holding him steady on a gurney. 

Finally forcing his eyes to a squint, he was able to make out the sky moving quickly beyond the five or six or seven worried faces of medics moving him across the tarmac of the airport in Germany. His brain started to piece together what had just happened, and slowly he began to feel things beyond the pain.

He could feel a brace around his neck. Hands all over his arms and chest, almost as if they were the only things holding him together. All of it getting downed out whenever the gurney hit a bump and pain shot down his back and through his entire body, as if every individual nerve was being pumped with electricity. Trying not to let panic get the best of him, his mind somehow found its way to a grounding exercise Sam had taught him once. Wiggle your nose, wiggle your fingers, wiggle your—

Panic, blinding panic.

Now he was screaming with purpose. He prayed that he got the word “Help” out once or twice, but he couldn’t be sure. He thought he might pass out. Hoped he would, then maybe he’d wake up from whatever hellish nightmare this surely was. Through the chaos, a familiar voice.

"Colonel Rhodes, you’re gonna be okay, just stay with us.”

The voice led him to the face. Frankie Masters. Rhodey had known his dad and was like an uncle to the kid. He’d become a med student and enlisted to be a war doctor before realizing it was too much for him, but didn’t want to return to civilian medicine. So Rhodey introduced him to Bruce which led him to being recruited as a doctor who worked on Avengers related cases. Despite all of that, this was the last place Rhodey was expecting to see him again.

Rhodey tried to wheeze something out Frankie could understand, but just ended up sounding more helpless and confused. All the effort made him cough, clueing him into the several broken ribs he no doubt had. But all of that was taking a backseat to his most pressing concern.

“We’re moving you to the helicopter now so we can get you to a hospital, Colonel Rhodes. You’re gonna be okay.” He sounded so sure, like he actually believed what he was saying. Confident and sure of himself, and not at all how Rhodey remembered him. “Just stay with us, we’re almost there, okay? We’re...” 

Rhodey could see his lips still moving, but he couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the helicopter drowning out even the sounds of his own screams. Couldn’t hear the reassurances as the gurney was hastily slid onto the helicopter’s deck, the pain engulfing his body as it was. Someone put a headset over his ears, and with it came true reassurance.

“Rhodey? Rhodes, you copy?”

_ Tony. _

There he was, leaning over him as people rushed around them in the cramped space. He was clutching his left arm to his chest but had his right firmly yet gently positioned on Rhodey’s, the terror on his face confirming that this was bad, really bad. Rhodey’s mouth hung open loosely as tears finally wet his eyes, the pain suddenly overwhelming him. He didn’t so much cry as he did sputter and cough, which only made him want to cry more. He wanted to say something but someone put an oxygen mask over his face before he got the chance to even try. He opted instead to put one hand over his friends.

“You’re gonna be okay, Rhodey, you hear me? Just hang tight, okay?” Tony yelled as the helicopter took off. Rhodey felt the effects of the altitude change almost instantly on his whole body, only disorienting him further. His head felt like it was a pressure cooker about to explode, and Rhodey knew he needed to get some of the blood to rush away from it. He tried getting his arms underneath his body to push himself up, but was met with a searing pain in his back and abs the second he tried to move.

“Rhodey, you can’t do that right now, okay?” Tony told him, as he and two other people pushed down on his chest and shoulders to keep him from moving again. “Just lay down until we get to the hospital, okay? You gotta calm down.”

“Tones,  _ my legs. _ ” Was Rhodey’s reply, the first actual words he’d managed since he woke up. He knew something was wrong,  _ seriously _ wrong, and he knew Tony would’ve been able to tell him what it was. “Tones, what’s…?” He tried again, but the helicopter took a sharp turn as it rose higher in the sky, tying his stomach in knots and pressurizing his head even more than it was already. 

Rhodey passed out before anyone could give him an answer.

* * *

Sleep.

It was Rhodey’s only escape. 

For the most part, his psyche was kind to him. He could drift off into a world where he was safe, where he was happy, where he was  _ normal _ . He’d dream the most mundane things; walking the aisles of a grocery store, buying ingredients for a big dinner he never got to make, running for a bus he’d never catch, anything that could free him from the cold sterile walls of his hospital room.

Throughout his time in the hospital, Rhodey would have this recurring dream. It would always begin with him walking down a soft dirt path in a lush, green forest, full of life. Birds were singing, squirrels were scurrying about, bugs and insects buzzing around everywhere, but they never bothered to come near Rhodey. It was as if he himself was a part of this vast ecosystem, just another organism minding their own business, concerned only with himself. The sun was always just beginning to set in this dream, golden light streaming through the trees' abundant leaves, filling the world around him with a sense of warmth and calm.

He’d walk for some amount of time, following the setting sun until he’d arrive at a wide, open glade. Through the clearing Rhodey could take in the vast, clear skies drifting above him, his view no longer obstructed by the dense forest. At his feet, a freshwater lake that seemed to stretch on and on forever. Waves gently washed up upon the shore, the cool spray of the clean water on Rhodey’s warm skin enticing and inviting, begging him to jump in and cool off.

The dream would always end the same way; Rhodey would strip down naked, leaving his clothing lying on a large rock in the sun to warm for when he eventually emerged, and proceed towards the water he never ended up swimming in.

This was a trend, Rhodey had noticed, always waking up before finishing whatever task or activity he was doing. He’s found that it was a blessing as much as it was a curse, because while it’s frustrating when the dreams are good, it’s a relief when the dreams turn into a nightmare. 

The nightmare is always the same. He’s falling. No matter what he’s always falling. Reliving the fight at the airport and all of its frustration, emotional hurt and confusion, culminating in the almost fatal miscalculation that cost Rhodey his life as he knew it. The feeling of literal powerlessness that trapped Rhodey in his armour envelops his entire body as he falls and falls but never seems to hit the ground. Instead he tumbles helplessly through the sky, watching the world go by through the small slits of his helmet and Tony’s panicked screaming ringing in his ears, endlessly reaching but never quite able to catch him. 

And then he wakes up.

Or, more accurately, he’s woken up.

Ever since Rhodey got to the hospital, he’s lived his life two hours at a time. That’s how much time passes before a group of nurses file into his room to flip him onto his back or other side, sometimes onto his stomach. It’s been explained to Rhodey why they do this, but he hasn’t really been able to retain much of what anyone tells him these days. Something about relieving pressure or increasing blood flow or avoiding blisters on his skin or something. All he knows for sure is that it happens, every two hours, without fail.

Some days he feels more like he’s being spit-roasted than he’s being treated at a medical facility, but that’s besides the point. The point is, he hates it. Absolutely hates it. Despite how much he’s been needing — and wanting — to sleep, it’s been impossible for him to sleep through it. 

Every two hours, a team of four or five nurses parade into his room, take all of his blankets off (he usually has three or four due to how cold the hospital is) reconfigure any extra pillows he will or won’t need, then proceed put their hands on his whole body to move him to a new position. Rhodey’s found that, with the lack of any sensation or feeling below his hips, his upper body has become extremely sensitive to touch. The feeling of hands all over him every two hours makes him want to throw up. And being turned around while barely conscious and on what felt like every drug ever did nothing to help with the nausea. 

It’s been rough, to put it lightly.

What woke him up today was knocking. At first, Rhodey suspected it was time to get moved once again, but his team of nurses would usually knock quickly before entering right away, and this person gave five or six knocks then stopped, waiting to be acknowledged. When nothing more came of it, Rhodey assumed he’d just heard another noise and mistaken it for knocking, and figured that would be the end of it.

That is, until he heard the insistent knocking a second time.

Was the person knocking expecting him to  _ get up _ and  _ let them in? _

They were obviously waiting for  _ something _ , but Rhodey didn’t have much to offer in terms of acknowledgement at the moment. Some sort of audible response would have to suffice for now.

Rhodey mustered up the best ‘Yes?’ that he could, which seemed to be enough for whomever was trying to bother him. The heavy metal door slid open slowly, and a familiar head poked through into the dark room.

Despite how annoyed he was to have been woken up, this guest was worth it.

“Sorry to bother you, Colonel Rhodes, I can come back another time if you’d like.” Came Frankie’s voice, timid and apologetic. A far cry from how he’d sounded the day of his fall. 

_ This _ was Frankie as Rhodey remembered him. Apprehensive and unsure of himself, always aiming to please. Traits that really began to manifest after his father died, putting his life on the path to joining the military and becoming a doctor, in the hopes that no other soldier would have to die as his father did. Even though it wasn’t best for him, Frankie was always putting others before himself. 

And behind the offer of leaving if he was asked to was a kid who really needed to make sure Rhodey was okay. For both of their sakes.

“Colonel?” Rhodey asked, lazily opening his eyes. “At ease, soldier.” He joked. “I’m not anybody’s Colonel right now.” Thankfully, Frankie picked up on Rhodey’s invitation and let himself into the hospital room, making sure to close the door as quietly as he could behind him.

“Well I’m no soldier, so I guess it doesn’t make too much of a difference, does it?” Frankie said as he sat in the chair adjacent to Rhodey’s bed. Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“You addressing me as ‘colonel’ all the time begs to differ.” He countered. Frankie leaned back in his chair, chuckling. 

“I’m at work.” He replied simply. But Rhodey was quick to jump on that one.

“Oh, and this is working?” Rhodey asked, raising one eyebrow. “Because this—” He gestured vaguely with his hand without moving it off of his pillow. “—Doesn’t look like work to me.” That got an actual laugh out of Frankie, triggering a small smile from Rhodey himself.

“They must have you on some fine drugs, huh?” Frankie observed, the slurred speech and unusually lax conversation being more than enough of an answer.

“Mmm, I haven’t been this high since college.” Rhodey observed, earning another chuckle from Frankie.

“How’re you doing Uncle James?” He asked, leaning in closer and finally addressing him normally. Rhodey hummed at the question before quickly changing the subject, hoping that would be enough to dodge the question.

“I didn’t mean to be so grumpy when you showed up...” He said. “I don’t get many visitors so keen on my privacy these days.” Thankfully, at least for the time being, Frankie dropped it.

“You don’t have to apologize, Uncle James. You have enough things to be grumpy about.” Frankie replied, reaching over and placing his hand lightly and reassuringly on Rhodey’s arm. “I came because Mr. Stark had to leave for the Raft. It was all pretty sudden, so he asked me if I could come sit with you until he gets back.”

“So I need a babysitter now?” Rhodey asked, inciting another small laugh from Frankie.

“No, no, he just thought you might appreciate some company.” He paused for a moment, almost as if he was debating if he should speak again. “And, y’know, I wanted to come see how you’re holding up, too..” It was only then that it occured to Rhodey that between his emergency surgery and his stint in the ICU, this was his first time seeing Frankie since the day of his fall.

“They been telling you anything?” Rhodey was sure Tony would share anything he knew with Frankie, which would’ve been everything, but between his brief visits with Rhodey and still trying to handle all of this Accords business, now on his own, Rhodey doubted he’d have the time to be able to sit down and talk to him. And despite being on the team that brought Rhodey in, Frankie was only a first year resident, so considering that and the personal connection they had with each other, Rhodey was almost certain he wasn’t put anywhere near his case.

“Mr. Stark has been doing his best to keep me in the loop, and I’ve been able to get some info out of some of the nurses here and there, too.” Rhodey gave a half smile at that. The smile didn’t stay, however, as a muscle spasm ran its way down Rhodey’s back, causing a chain reaction as the pain involuntarily caused the rest of his upper body to tense up as a response. Frankie placed his other hand over Rhodey’s clenched fist, rubbing his arm with the first.

“You’re good, Uncle James, it’ll pass.” Frankie mumbled when a grunt forced its way past Rhodey’s lips as a particularly bad spasm ran down his back. Muscle spasms had quickly become one of Rhodey’s most pressing issues in the days following his fall, made even more infuriating by the fact that they weren’t even the good kind. While it would be encouraging if they were happening in his legs, the ones he experienced on a daily basis were all in his back, the result of misfiring signals from his brain not being able to reach his lower limbs.

“Do you need me to call for a nurse?” Frankie asked after a few minutes. Rhodey exhaled forcefully, managing a small nod of approval. Frankie stood to press the nurse call button on the wall behind Rhodey’s bed, which earned a quick response.

“How’re we doing in here?” The nurse who’d responded to the call asked upon entering the room.

“He started spasming a few minutes ago. The pain continues to increase.” Frankie provided as she approached Frankie’s chair, standing behind him so she was in Rhodey’s eyeline. Rhodey was thankful he’d been spared trying to explain the problem himself, though it wouldn’t have been particularly difficult for the nurse to figure it out had Frankie not been there.

“Well,” The nurse started, checking her watch, “It’s just about time to change your position anyways, Colonel Rhodes. We can move you to a new position and see if that helps with the spasms, alright?” Rhodey nodded, trying his best to control his laboured breathing. 

Having Frankie around to get him alert and talking and his previous dose of painkillers wearing off had granted Rhodey a rare few moments of clarity upon waking up. But the pain from the muscle spasms and the subsequent new dose of meds pulled him right back under. He was vaguely aware of the pain and nausea that came with getting moved to a new position, and then he was on his back, surrounded by pillows and fading fast.

“How’s the pain now?” Frankie asked, the nurses having left some undisclosed amount of time ago. “One to ten.”

“Mmm, better.” Rhodey said simply, having missed the second half of the question. “Might fall asleep on you, though.”

“If you can sleep, sleep.” Frankie encouraged. “I won’t be offended.”

“Promise?” Rhodey asked, his eyes fighting to remain open. Frankie chuckled.

“Go to sleep, Uncle James." Getting one last glimpse of Frankie's face, he finally caught sight of the pain Frankie had been doing his best to hide. "You deserve it."

* * *

“Are they back?” Rhodey asked when Frankie burst through his room’s door. What was supposed to be a short visit to the Raft had, in usual Tony Stark fashion, snowballed into what Rhodey understood was a ‘Serious altercation’ with the Star Spangled Fugitive and his Mission. After not hearing back from Tony all night, the hospital finally got a distress signal from Friday, who was in Siberia, of all places. 

Along with an urgent call for medevac since the suit was in no way capable of flight, there were specific instructions from Tony to keep Frankie with Rhodey in Germany. And despite their fastest Quinjets being able to cut travel times in half, it still took a full day to fly to Siberia, get Tony, and fly back. Needless to say, it’s been a rough 24 hours.

“They just touched down, they were able to get him stable during the flight.” Frankie supplied, kneeling in front of Rhodey who was propped up in the large armchair in the corner of his room, surrounded by pillows. He’d already been on track to start sitting for short periods of time today, and despite his worry eating him alive, he knew Tony would be pissed if he found out he wasn’t following his doctor’s orders. He didn’t want to give Tony  _ another _ thing to worry about, especially now.

“I want to see him.” Rhodey stated, not even asking. “I have to, I–” A spasm ran down his spine, Rhodey trying his best to ignore it. “–Need to make sure he’s– okay.”

“Uncle James,” Frankie stopped him, placing one of his hands over Rhodey’s, “He’s in no condition for visitors, and you’re in no condition to visit.” Rhodey wasn’t sure if it was the pain or the stress causing his eyes to tear up, forcing him to break eye contact. A groan escaped him as another spasm ran down his back.

“I.. I think I need to... lie down again.” Rhodey decided, one tear sliding down his cheek, followed quickly by another. Frankie nodded, standing to leave and alert Rhodey’s nurse. As Rhodey sat breathing through the pain, once again alone, his mind wandered to the last time he had seen Tony. He’d been so out of it he was barely awake, but the interaction was somehow coming back to him crystal clear.

_ “You don’t have to worry your pretty little head, Rhodes.”  _ He had said, standing over Rhodey at the edge of his hospital bed. Doing his best to hide his own pain.  _ “I’ve got everything under control.”  _ If Rhodey didn’t know him so well he might’ve believed him. _ “All I need you to do is focus on getting your strength up so we can get you out of here, get you back home. You leave the rest to me.” _

_ “You know I can’t.”  _ Rhodey could remember mumbling.

_ “You don’t have much else of a choice.”  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhodey was beginning to feel like he wasn’t ready for this, after all.
> 
> That was, of course, until Rhodey finally laid eyes on him.
> 
> Or
> 
> Rhodey gets some much needed reassurance and closure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won't make this super long, but thank you to those of you who supported this first chapter, with a comment, kudos, or even just a read. I see all of you and I'm very very thankful. I'd been feeling super down about my writing abilities for a while now, so it's nice to know I've still got it! Inspiration struck me tonight and I got this whole thing down in one sitting, which is an amazing thing to feel again, so while it's not super long, I hope you enjoy!!! <3

“How’s he doing today?” Rhodey asked, having already cycled through their usual small talk for the day. 

“No change.” Frankie replied stiffly, shuffling their deck of playing cards. “It’s gonna be a few more days before he’s gonna start showing improvements.” He started dealing the cards. “But the doctors are hopeful.”

“Hopeful.” Rhodey repeated, examining his hand. “That’s already an improvement.” Upon finally returning from Siberia, Tony’s list of injuries was long and daunting. Undoubtedly, the most concerning item on that list was the severe fracture to his already extremely damaged and fragil septum, the strain that put on his still weak heart, and the subsequent pneumonia he’d caught from spending nearly fourteen hours freezing in a mostly dead suit, battered and bleeding as he waited for the medevac to arrive.

After his emergency surgery on the Quinjet to stabilize him and a subsequent second surgery once he arrived in Germany, his doctors made the difficult decision to put him in what was essentially a medically induced coma, so they could put him on a ventilator and wait out the worst of his illness.

Despite the fear going around the hospital that Tony could be dead on arrival, Rhodey was almost certain he’d be fine. Tony’s gotten into so much deadly shit in the past, there was no way in Hell this of all things would be the thing that killed him. No, Rhodey knew that if Tony Stark ever does die, it’ll somehow be under the gaze of the entire Universe, in a SuperNova the Galaxy will have never seen. You know,  _ if _ he ever gets around to dying.

But the fear that the doctor’s worries were right was painfully real. 

Even still, Rhodey knew Tony was no stranger to that feeling either.

“No news is good news.” Frankie shrugged. “For the time being, at least.”

Rhodey laid his cards down on the table in front of him. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t focus on his hand.

“Not up for another round?” Frankie asked.

“Can’t keep my focus.” Rhodey supplied, rubbing his face. “M’too tired.” He sighed deeply before letting his hands fall into his lap, looking back at Frankie with dry, tired eyes. “Sorry, Frankie.”

“Hey, hey, no need to apologize.” Frankie said, gathering up the cards, and sliding them back into their box. “We’ve got all the time in the world to play cards, Uncle James.” Frankie placed the card box down on the table, taking a moment to study the expression on Rhodey’s face. As he’s so often able to do, Frankie read Rhodey’s mind. “You want to see him.”

“I’ve seen Tony an inch from dying more times than I can count at this point, but I just –” Rhodey pulled in a breath, “I need to see him. I need to know he’s still here.”

Frankie reached forward, taking one of Rhodey’s hands in his. That touch, that warmth, that’s what he needed from Tony right now. Frankie, the doctors, they could tell him whatever they wanted, but he needed that reassurance from Tony himself, even if all he could get was one of Tony’s calloused hands held in his, just for a moment.

“Give me five minutes, okay?” Frankie said, pulling Rhodey out of his dazed thoughts and back to the present. Rhodey nodded, Frankie pulling away from his uncle after a quick, affirming squeeze to his hand. The second the door closed behind him, Rhodey felt a tear slide down his face, then another. 

_ How the hell did we get ourselves into this mess? _

Rhodey had never been a ‘What if?’ kind of person. He lives and grounds himself in the facts, in the now. But these past weeks, he’s been lost in a blizzard of potential worst case scenarios, baseless worries and fears flurrying around in his mind almost non-stop. It was impossible to escape, suffocating at times, and had kicked into overdrive ever since Tony had left for the Raft. 

And despite living in this, a present day nightmare come to life, it refused to stop.

The sound of his large metal door being pushed open managed to quell the thoughts. For the time being.

“How comfortable are you in the wheelchair?” Frankie asked, peeking into the hospital room.

“Comfortable enough.” Rhodey replied immediately. Frankie opened his mouth, about to argue what they both knew to be a blatant lie, then closed it, correctly assuming he wasn’t going to get any other answer.

“Okay,” He relented, “I’ll go grab your nurse.”

Despite what Rhodey would ever admit, ‘Comfortable’ was a strong word, especially in the moments that followed. The process to get him from his hospital bed into the aforementioned large, sturdy, pillow clad wheelchair included Rhodey having to exert energy he hadn’t had for weeks, and proved to be anything but ‘comfortable’. After a lot of struggle and many spells of lightheadedness, moderate pain, and nausea, Rhodey was finally venturing beyond the walls of his hospital room.

If he’d ever been out of his room for scans or appointments before this point, he had no recollection of it. As Frankie pushed him down many winding hallways, another one of Rhodey’s nurses acting as their guide, Rhodey took in his surroundings for the first time. Being mostly bound to the bed in his hospital room, his once large, open world had shrunk significantly. 

The brighter fluorescent lights lining the ceilings, the sounds of other doctors, nurses and patients, and the occasional glance out a window with whole other views beyond them made Rhodey feel incredibly small. Despite the blanket draped over his legs, the breeze from being in motion, as well as the air conditioning circulating through each new hall they ventured through sent chills through his body, leaving goosebumps in their path.

Then came an elevator ride, the likes of which launched his already weak stomach up into his throat, and Rhodey was beginning to feel like he wasn’t ready for this, after all.

That was, of course, until Rhodey finally laid eyes on him.

If most people were to see their best friend, their other half, in the state Tony was currently in, they would probably be hysterical. A large tube down their throat, the majority of their face and body covered in casts and bandages, what little visible skin there was horribly cut and bruised, effectively being kept alive by machines and monitors, under constant surveillance. For most people, this would be horrific. 

For Rhodey, it was just another Wednesday. (Or whatever day of the week it was, Rhodey had no sweet clue.)

All Rhodey needed were two things; the steady beat of a heart monitor, the constant rise and fall of his chest. 

Check, and check. 

“We won’t be long.” The nurse who’d brought Rhodey and Frankie in told Tony’s nurse, who was replacing one of many IV bags hanging above his bed. She nodded swiftly in response before returning to her work. Frankie pushed Rhodey further into the room, bringing him round to Tony’s bedside.

Rhodey reached forward as much as he could manage, carefully sliding his hand under Tony’s right, making sure not to disturb the large IV inserted into his hand. He immediately felt tears once again well up in his eyes. That touch, that  _ warmth,  _ that was life. That was  _ Tony.  _

“‘Everything under control’ my ass.” Rhodey whispered, more to himself than to Tony. There was obviously no way he’d remember any of this interaction. But that didn’t matter. “I don’t know how many times we have to have this conversation, Tony,  _ you ride with me,  _ you hear me?” Tony’s hand remained limp and unmoving in Rhodey’s. He started saying something, but the next time he blinked he’d been pulled away from the bed, Frankie now kneeling down in front of him. 

“You back with us?” Frankie asked, and Rhodey realized his nephew was holding him up against the back of the wheelchair, while his nurse was checking his pulse. “You blacked out there for a second, are you with us, Uncle James?” Rhodey managed to push some kind of reply out from his throat. “Let’s get you back up in your own bed, yeah?” Frankie suggested. Rhodey offered a cautious nod.

He was able to catch one more glimpse of Tony’s face as they exited his room. Despite the heavy drugs he was under and the complete lack of consciousness, his face still had worry written all over it. Rhodey watched him as long as he could, hoping to see even the smallest hope of wakefulness, despite fully knowing it was still too early.

And just as quickly as his visit had begun, it was over. There was no small twitch of Tony’s hand, no subconscious smile at hearing Rhodey’s voice, no picture perfect Hollywood sign that everything was going to be okay.

But none of that mattered. Because their lives were far from perfect. And Rhodey, at least in this moment, could live with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!! It felt so nice to have the words just flow out of my brain onto the keyboard. Leave a comment if you feel so inclined (maybe something you wanna see in a future chapter..??) and thank you, thank you for reading. I appreciate your support!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please please let me know what you thought of this and if it's even worth continuing, I'm kinda up in the air as to wether I'm gonna actually take this anywhere or just throw it onto the ever growing pile of shit I never finish lmao. Any kind of feedback or comments are always appreciated, even if you just wanna keysmash or something. And hey, maybe if someone else tells me they think this is as good a fic as I think it is I'll get motivated to write more of it, who knows. But whether you liked it or not, whether you comment or not, thanks for reading. I appreciated it.


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